April - May 1999

Dear Brethren,

We had our first year anniversary of Iglesia Biblica Bautista De Piedras Amarillas on April 25th. It was also our first meeting on a Sunday morning and everything went well. We were having problems with some of the Pentecostals so we decided to have our services at the same time they havetheir services. We lost several of the people that we saved at our church to the Pentecostals and one of their pastors stood in front of our church during the meetings and watched to see who came. The change seems to have stopped most of the problems and the members of our church are happier meeting on Sundays and Thursdays.

We have had three saved at Piedras Amarillas during May. Brother Paul Ciesielczyk came back down to Honduras to do some medical work for us. After church on the first Sunday he was here, we gave Marvin Molino a lift back to La Ceiba with us. Marvin has been coming to our church for a couple of months but would never make a decision to get saved. We had him cornered in the car for about 45 minutes so since Brother Paul was in the back with Marvin, he showed him the scriptures and witnessed to him and I interpreted while I drove. When Marvin was ready to get saved, I pulled to the shoulder of the road and Paul led him to the Lord. Paul and I were both surprised to see that it was the same spot that little Mario had gotten saved the last time Paul was here.

When we first started our church, a lady named Maria Garcia came to our church a few months. Her husband was a Roman Catholic and he would walk her to church and sometimes he would stand in the road and listen to the services. Maria started going to a Pentecostal church and I did not see her again until the beginning of May. She showed up one Sunday and said her husband Daniel told her she could not go the Pentecostal church anymore. He said she could only go to my church because I preached the Bible and the Pentecostals only sang and jumped around. After she started coming back to my church, Maria would go home and tell Daniel what I had preached and taught. She would show him the scriptures I had used and one day she told me Daniel had asked for me to come and visit him. Brother Paul and I went to visit and Daniel got saved. The next Sunday Daniel came to church with his family and when they got home, the inside of their home was demolished. Their cow had gotten inside and destroyed everything. Maria's brother was with them and was watching to see what they would do. Daniel and Maria sought of had a reputation for losing their tempers but they just looked at the mess and Daniel said "We are going through a time of testing" and Maria said "Praise the Lord. He will see us through it." Maria's brother couldn't believe they weren't cursing and screaming. Everyone in the village is asking Daniel what happened to him and he tells them he got saved.

The second Sunday after he was saved, I had to take Maria and their year old son to La Ceiba to the Doctor. We had to have him hospitalized for two days because he had dysentery but he is back home now. I believe the Lord is going to use Daniel and that is why the devil is giving him a hard time. Please remember Daniel Garcia and his family in your prayers.

Last prayer letter I told you about Mincho Erazo and his wife Olga. Mincho is my right hand man in the church and I am happy to report that he is doing good. His daughter told me that at night he reads the Bible to them. One night he read the Bible to them from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. I am praising the Lord for the way my people are growing. They are memorizing scripture and learning the books of the Bible. Some are even beginning to witness a little as well as tithe.

I really had a blessing about two days before Brother Paul got here. Pastor asked me to go with them to have a clinic at the village of La Union. I had an opportunity to preach during the clinic and 21 Catholics go saved. Pastor got their names and said he is going to start a church in the village.

Please keep us in your prayers especially the Garcia family.

Your Laborers in Honduras,

Santos and Sandra Ortiz

This is a picture of our church taken during its first anniversary service.